Throughout the week, one of my favorite things to do when working on the blog is checking out what unique holidays are happening. Sometimes I manage to share them on the day they’re happening, and sometimes I share them a day late, a week later, or heck, even a month later. Or I might share them early. You never know what you’re going to find here on Greatful Moments!

But when I found out there was a holiday celebrating curiosity, I knew I had to share it, even though it happened on October 9th. If you know my family at all you know curiosity is something we live with each and every day. Especially me! I’m the one who can start researching one thing and end up going down a rabbit hole more times than not. I’ll find something interesting, which leads me to something else, and before I know it, I’ve wandered so far from where I started that I have to stop and remember what I was looking for in the first place!

So today, I wanted to share my thoughts about Curious Events Day, some of the things this holiday brings to mind, and how curiosity can become part of our everyday lives, especially when it comes to homeschooling, family memories, and thinking outside the box. Because just because a holiday has passed doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate it. Sometimes the best things we discover happen when we’re not even looking for them!

Curious Events Day is observed on October 9 and celebrates the unusual, the strange, the mysterious, and the things that make us stop and ask questions. It’s an opportunity to explore something we might not ordinarily think about, learn a surprising fact, or investigate a mystery that has captured our attention.

I couldn’t find a reliably documented answer identifying who invented Curious Events Day or the exact year it began. So rather than make up a history for the holiday, I think it’s fair to say that the idea behind it is something we can appreciate regardless of who first came up with it. After all, curiosity doesn’t belong to just one person or one day of the year.

When I first started thinking about this holiday, one of the places that came to mind was Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in Grand Prairie, Texas. If you’ve ever been fascinated by unusual exhibits, unbelievable facts, or things that make you wonder how something is even possible, you can understand why I thought of it.

Then my mind wandered toward Halloween and the unusual attractions around the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano came to mind, too. This time of year, people are looking for spooky adventures, strange stories, and things that give them a little thrill. But that wasn’t the end of my thoughts.

When I think about unusual things and family favorites, I also think about David and his all-time favorite movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. And, of course, that brings the Oompa Loompas to mind! You might be wondering what Oompa Loompas have to do with Curious Events Day. Well, that is the thing about curiosity. One thought leads to another, and sometimes the connections we make are personal ones that bring back memories or remind us of someone we love.

And then there is Alice in Wonderland and Curiouser and Curiouser: Following the White Rabbit When I hear the word curiouser, I immediately think about Alice in Wonderland, the White Rabbit, and Alice following him down the rabbit hole. That is one of the things I love about this idea. Alice’s adventure begins when she follows her curiosity. She enters a world where unexpected things happen, familiar rules no longer seem to apply, and every new discovery leads to another question. Doesn’t that sound a little like the way research can go?

You start looking for one thing, discover something else that catches your attention, and suddenly you are exploring a completely different subject. Sometimes you find the answer you were looking for. Other times, you find something even more interesting. And sometimes you have to remind yourself to get back to the original task!

Alice in Wonderland isn’t the origin of Curious Events Day, but it certainly fits the spirit of the holiday. It reminds us that curiosity can take us on adventures we never planned. You can revisit the story through the different Alice in Wonderland movie adaptations, too. If you enjoy movie throwbacks as much as we do, take a look at Disney+ and its Throwbacks collection for nostalgic viewing ideas. Check the current catalog for the particular Alice in Wonderland movie you want to watch.

One of the things I appreciate about homeschooling is that we can think outside the box. Learning doesn’t always have to start with a textbook, a worksheet, or a lesson that somebody else planned. Sometimes it starts with a question a child asks at the breakfast table. Sometimes it starts with a book, a movie, an unusual animal, or a story somebody remembers from childhood. And sometimes it starts with a rabbit hole!

Imagine letting your child choose something that makes them curious. Maybe they want to know why an octopus has eight arms, how a magician performs a particular trick, why an unusual historical event happened, or whether a strange story they’ve heard is actually true. Instead of simply giving them the answer, help them investigate.

You can read books together, look for reliable sources, compare explanations, and talk about the difference between a fact, a theory, and a rumor. Younger children can draw what they discover, while older students can write a report or share their findings with the family.

You can even turn it into a family activity. Let each person choose a curious question and spend ten minutes reading about it. Then come back together and share what you learned. And remember, reading doesn’t have to mean picking up a traditional chapter book. It can be a comic book, an encyclopedia, an article, an educational website, or another resource that helps you learn something new.

The important thing is to keep asking questions. Curiosity encourages children to investigate, think critically, make connections, and discover that learning can happen in all kinds of places. Those are skills they can carry with them long after a particular homeschool lesson is finished.

Yes, Curious Events Day happened on October 9 this year. But that doesn’t mean we have to put the idea away until next October. Here on Greatful Moments, I might share a holiday on the day it happens, a day later, a week later, or even a month later. Sometimes I might share it early. You just never know!

If a holiday reminds you of something from your childhood, brings back a memory of someone you love, inspires a family activity, or encourages you to learn something new, I don’t think the calendar should be the only thing that determines whether it is worth celebrating.

Maybe a curious story reminds you of a grandparent who loved telling unusual tales. Maybe a movie takes you back to a time when you watched it with your family. Maybe your child asks a question that sends everybody off to the library to find the answer. Those moments don’t have an expiration date.

For me, curiosity is something we live with every day. It’s part of the way I research stories, remember family experiences, and discover things I want to share with you. Sometimes my thoughts might seem to go in several different directions, but those connections are part of what makes writing here on Greatful Moments personal to me.

One question I keep coming back to is the question I keep coming back to is where will curiosity lead us in the future? What will our children discover that we haven’t discovered yet? What mysteries will somebody finally solve? What new inventions might come from a question that seems small today? What might we learn about the world simply because somebody was willing to look at something differently?

We don’t know the answers to all those questions. And perhaps that is part of the fun. The next great discovery could begin with a child asking why. It could start with a reader finding an unusual fact in a book. It could begin with somebody remembering an old story and deciding to investigate whether it really happened.

We never know where a curious thought might lead. That is why I believe we should encourage curiosity, especially in our children. We don’t have to know everything. We just need to be willing to learn, ask questions, and look for answers. And if we happen to wander down a rabbit hole along the way, maybe we’ll discover something wonderful that we wouldn’t have found otherwise.

To go along with Curious Events Day, I thought it would be fun to give families a simple activity they can use any time of the year. Choose one question that makes you curious. Write down what you already know about it, then spend ten minutes reading or researching to discover something new. Share what you found with someone else, and decide whether there is another question you want to explore.

You can make this a one-day activity or turn it into a weekly family tradition. If you’re homeschooling, it can become a starting point for reading, writing, science, history, or even art. The possibilities are as wide as your imagination. And if your family enjoys Alice in Wonderland, you can make the activity even more fun by giving it the name Follow the Curious Rabbit Hole. Just remember to come back and share what you discovered!

When I started thinking about Curious Events Day, I didn’t expect my thoughts to travel from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! to Halloween, from David’s favorite movie to the Oompa Loompas, and then all the way to Alice in Wonderland. But that’s how curiosity works sometimes.

One thought leads to another, memories come along for the ride, and before you know it, you have found something worth sharing. So whether you celebrate Curious Events Day on October 9 or discover it another time, I hope you’ll take a moment to explore something unusual, read something interesting, or ask a question you’ve always wanted answered. You never know where your curiosity might take you, or what you might discover along the way. And who knows? The future might hold something even curiouser than we can imagine!

What makes you curious? Is there a mystery you want to solve, a childhood memory you love revisiting, or a subject you could spend hours learning about? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

From my front porch to yours, let’s keep learning, remembering, and discovering together.

GratefulMoments.com

Grateful. Thankful. Blessed.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates